


Thank's Dad

by JackH777



Category: The Magicians (TV), The Magicians - Lev Grossman
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Father Son Bonding-ish, Feelings, Parent Discovering Child, Parent Eliot Waugh, Parent Fen, Son Todd, Time Travel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-07
Updated: 2018-04-07
Packaged: 2019-04-19 13:11:26
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,495
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14238021
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JackH777/pseuds/JackH777
Summary: So you know the time when Todd accidentally called Eliot Dad? Well, I sure do and it stuck with me. Then this little thing came along. Idk, hope you like.





	Thank's Dad

**Author's Note:**

> I don't own the magicians!

The first time it happened Eliot hadn’t thought much of it. So, Todd had been really into the whole family thing and the name just slipped. It was no secret around the physical cottage that Todd did not have a good relationship with his family. The fact that he never went home over breaks and that he stayed living there even after magic was gone would have been enough proof, but there was also the fact that if someone was telling a story about their family Todd would get this far off look in his eye. He never said anything about it, but everyone knew, mostly from their own shitty experiences with family.

 

All of that was why when Todd called him ‘Dad’ Eliot did his best to brush it off and move on. On some level it would be understandable that the younger man would look up to him, almost every one of the physical kids put him up on a pedestal, so why would Todd be any different. It did not have to mean anything and they could both just forget about it, which based of the embarrassed shade of red Todd had turned after saying it the boy was most likely relieved that Eliot had just let the whole thing go. 

 

Life continued and Eliot went back to forgetting Todd existed. Well until they needed someone to make sure Fray didn’t find the eggs. He had looked so excited when Eliot had asked him to oversee something, but he pushed whatever the strange feeling he was having at the look down, deep down because they had more important shit to do. Eliot thought about mentioning it to someone, but more important things happened and it was forgotten. 

 

Frey found the eggs and Todd was looking so guilty that Eliot could only me a little mad at him. After all, he should have known to trust the job to someone who could have done more than told her not to look in the cubby hole. They dealt with the matter and even got the best of the fairy queen, so overall it seemed like a success. Sure, Fray had not been theirs, but something about that was alright for Eliot. He knew it hurt Fen, but the thought of being a father scared him too much.

 

When he sent her back to Breakbills he did not think that her and Todd would become friends, but there they were laughing over something he had just shown her on his phone. He had to pause to look at what he was seeing for a moment, but as he watched them interact that same strange feeling was in his chest again. Eliot had no idea what it was, but he decided to probe it a little this time.

 

“What are we doing?” He asked in his usually playful tone. Both of them looked up at him with matching smiles and the feeling got stronger.   
“Hi, I was just showing Mom how to use her phone.” Todd replied not even noticing the word her had used. Apparently, Fen did not notice either, because she rushed out of her seat to come show him what she had been learning. The word was not lost on Eliot however and he had a sinking feeling that they were going to need to talk about this soon. 

 

Soon turned out to be a week later when Eliot tried waking Todd up to get him off the couch. His friends were supposed to be gathering there soon and a hungover Todd was not what they needed when planning how to save the world. “Todd, why don’t you head upstairs?” Eliot asked in what he considered the kindest voice possible. A quick frown fell on Todd’s sleeping face, but his eyes remained closed.

 

“Come on Dad, just five more minutes.” He mumbled trying to roll over and away from Eliot.

 

For some reason, it was the straw that broke the camel’s back. Next thing he knew his voice turned very stern and the second anything left his lips Todd’s eyes snapped open and the younger man was getting up. He took one look at Eliot and one look down at himself before apologizing and racing up the stairs. 

 

He had no idea what possessed him to do it, but suddenly Eliot was chasing after Todd wanting some answers. It was one thing if these were little slips, but this stuff needed to stop. He knew Fen had not heard it last time, but it could be very crushing for her if she did hear him calling her mom in light of everything that had happened. 

 

Eliot found the Todd in the younger man’s room pacing back and forth. He had thought about knocking, but that was never really his style and Todd did not have time to become indecent since Eliot had been right behind him. He practically jumped out of his skin when the taller man strode into his room and slammed the door shut.

 

“Shit, sorry.” Todd said refusing to make eye contact with Eliot. It called the older man down a bit to see that the younger was remorseful, but it was also confusing because he wasn’t sure what the younger man was remorseful about. Taking a moment to figure out his own emotions Eliot took a deep breath before deciding to handle this in a calm and rational way.

 

“I’m not mad Todd, but I think we need to have a talk about what has been going on with you.” He started not really sure about how this was supposed to go. “Why don’t we sit down and talk about it.”

 

Todd nodded and sat down on the edge of his bed while Eliot plopped down in the chair by the desk. They sat there facing each other for a moment neither knowing what to say until Eliot decided he would just go for it. “Alright first question, is it a sex thing?” He asked silently praying that it wasn’t.

 

The color drained out of Todd’s face as he quickly shook his head no. Eliot let out a big sigh of relief and a lot of the tension left his body. “Oh, thank god.” He said. “Then is it some not sexual sex thing? Cause I have heard of age play, but you need to know that I am in no way experienced and I think the very thought of it would scare Fen.”

 

“It’s nothing like that.” Todd said bringing his hands up to wipe his face. It was clear the shorter man was struggling with what he wanted to say. Eliot could not help but notice how young Todd looked sitting on his bed with his legs crossed under him. Maybe it was just all the crazy shit they had been seeing, but Eliot could not remember the last time he had thought someone around his age had looked young. He used to think Quentin looked young, but with all the shit they had been dealing with the super nerd had aged in Eliot’s mind.

 

“Then what is it about Todd?” He pushed leaning forward on the chair in a way he had seen thousands of tv parents push to get their kids to spill their guts. Todd’s shoulders shook once before he jumped up from the bed and started his rant.

 

“Ok, so here’s the thing. I have no idea if I am supposed to tell you this and honestly, I’m not, but you need to know. Since magic went away I haven’t been able to hide it as well since there is less for me to distract myself with. Before I could focus on classes, or move it to the back of my mind, but now it is like right there and it is one of the only things I can think about. Alcohol used to help a shit ton and it was easier when you guys were around all the time because then I had to actively think about not telling you, but then you left and I sort of forgot I had to hide it you know?”

 

It was clear from the look on Eliot’s face that, no, he did not in fact know. “No, you don’t know because I haven’t told you.” Todd continued. “Anyway, there is no real easy way to say it, so I am just going to come out and say it. You and Fen are my parents, I am actually from the future and I used a time travel device thing to travel back in time so I could get to know you and then maybe use some of the information I found to improve our relationship in my actual time because not going to lie its actually quite shit. Then I had no idea how to go forward in time and now magic is gone and I’m kind of stuck here with no way of getting home and I have no idea what to do dad!”

 

To say Eliot was speechless would be the best way to describe what was happening. Todd for his part had flopped back down on the bed and was now hiding his face in his pillow. No one could say how long the two of them stayed there for, but it felt like a really long time before Eliot finally got up and moved closer to Todd. He gingerly sat down on the edge of the bed making sure not to touch the distressed grad student. 

 

“Ok, so clearly I have some questions, but I don’t want to push you. So, you just take a few and let me know when you are ready.” The older man said really wishing he had a drink right about now. Todd did, in fact, take his time working through it as slowly as he needed to. It was almost freeing to finally have told someone, but at the same time, he knew this could all be really bad.

 

Finally, he sat up and pulled his legs up to his chest. It took a few more moments before he was willing to talk about it, but finally, he nodded and Eliot took that as the sign to go ahead and ask his questions. He had been sitting there thinking about what he was going to ask. There were so many questions, but just this once there was enough time, so it was really a matter of what he wanted to ask first. When thinking about it and thinking about the fact that this was Todd there was only one question that could come first.

 

“Are you on something?” He asked trying not to sound sarcastic, but judging by the way Todd’s face fell a bit he would guess he missed the mark. “Ok, not on something.” He said trying to recover the conversation quickly. “So, when were you born?”

 

“I’m not sure I should tell you that. I’m not sure I should be telling you anything, because of the whole…you know…paradox thing.” Todd tried explaining hoping it wouldn’t make Eliot mad. He had seen his dad mad enough times in his life and he was not sure he could handle this Eliot, the one who he was almost friends with, being mad at him like that. The tall man seemed to be considering his words, but finally gave a nod and moved on to another topic.

 

“Right, well then how about I ask what you meant about our relationship being shit?” He asked. Todd considered it for before coming up with an answer. “We just don’t get along. Never have really, but you’re an important person and I have always been a handful.” He tried explaining. “It doesn’t really matter anyways, we don’t see each other much.” 

 

“Why?” Eliot questioned with a concerned look. Todd gave a small shrug. “I mean I have spent a good portion of my life getting bounced around. It would be a week with Uncle Q here, a month with Aunt Alice there, a night with Uncle Penny and Aunt Katie, and finally, I would come home only to be shipped off again a few days later. Don’t get me wrong, I loved getting to spend time with them and I got to learn some amazing things, but there was always something about coming home.”

 

“So, we just dumped you off on everyone else?” Eliot questioned sounding horrified. “It wasn’t like that. I told you I was a lot to handle and you and mom had a lot on your plate. At first, it was just babysitting and then something happened and I needed to stay longer and things just sort of snowballed. At first, I wanted to stay with them and then by the time I wanted to be home more you and mom thought I liked spending time with them more than I did with you guys. I never corrected you because how do you even start having that conversation.”

 

Eliot felt a little better after hearing his explanation, but he was still feeling like a failure as a father. His son felt like their relationship was so shitty that he needed to travel to the past to figure out a way for them to bond. “How did you get here?” He asked deciding it was better to keep talking then to focus on things that hadn’t come to pass. 

 

“There was this woman in Fillory. I don’t know who she is or where she came from, but one day I was running with Uncle Q from this giant and I lost sight of him. He told me how dangerous they were, so I just kept running and running until finally, I stumbled on this place. It had all of these small trees and they all had clocks on them like they were growing the clocks. It was really amazing and then this woman was there. She knew my name and she said she knew what I needed. 

 

At first, I had no idea what she was talking about, but then she gave me this look. It was the way you would look at a kid who couldn’t find their parents in the store. The one where they can see that your sad for them, but that you are trying to hold all your emotions in so they won’t be afraid. The next thing I knew she was hugging me and telling me that everything was going to be alright. Then she shoved a watch in my hand and all of a sudden, I was on the streets of New York and the newspaper said it was years before I was even born.

 

I wondered around for a while and before I knew it there was something guiding me. It took me to an alleyway and right up to this giant door. I pulled it open and there was Breakbills waiting for me. For the first time in a long time, it felt like I was home, so I took the entrance exam and they let me stay. The first time I saw you I knew who you were. It took me forever to build up the courage to come talk to you and I have sort of been working on it since.”

 

The way his eyes lit up when he spoke of Breakbills and the way he looked like a shy child when he talked about trying to talk to him made something tighten around Eliot’s heart. The longer he looked at them the more he could see it. Todd had his jaw, his eyebrows, and the tip of his hair curled just like his. He had Fen’s cheekbones and his eyes looked just like hers, except for the color. Todd had darker eyes than both of them, but he could see so much of each of them in both his body and his mannerisms.

 

Eliot was brought back to the moment he saw Todd standing behind his bar wearing his vest and tie. The young man had a crown on his head and he looked happier than Eliot had ever seen him. He beamed at Eliot for a moment before he had crushed the boy’s dreams with a single look of disapproval. Looking back now he hated how he had always treated Todd, but he knew it was because he feared the boy wanted to replace him in some way. Now it was clear that he had just been looking for approval the whole time.

 

A part of him wanted to refuse to believe any part of this. It would be so much easier for him to get up and walk down to the bar, pour himself a drink and pretend that he never heard any of what Todd had to say. If he were a stronger man he might have done just that, but Eliot knew at his core that he was still that week little boy who grew up on a farm looking for his father’s approval. He was not going to leave his son sitting here wishing for the same. 

 

Yes, his son because he could feel it now. The same thing he had been feeling for a while, but just now fully understanding. There were so many things he wanted to express at that moment, but he knew it was going to take time. For now, he would have to settle for something smaller. “Can I hug you?” He asked not really sure how Todd would take it.

 

In an instant, his arms were full of a shaking man and they were holding onto one another for dear life. This was his son in his arms and it was a feeling he was going to hold onto for the rest of his life. It was a feeling worth chasing and a feeling that he knew he was going to work the rest of his life to feel again. There are many great things in this world, but there is nothing quite like the feeling of knowing you are holding your child in your arms. Holding a person that you love so unconditionally, it really does something to you.

 

He didn’t notice he was crying until he felt the wet spot from Todd’s tears seep through his shirt. They were both crying on each other and it was sort of heartbreaking. They moved apart slowly still holding on but being able to look at each other’s faces. “What do we do now?” Todd asked in a small voice.

 

Eliot could not help the small chuckle that fell from his lips. “Now we go down and talk to your mother about this. Then we talk to your Aunt’s and Uncle’s and after that, we work on sending you back to where you belong. I’m sure you are giving me even more grey hairs then I probably already have worrying about where you are. Of course, there may be an adventure or two along the way, but we are going to figure this out. Ok?” 

 

Todd nodded his head in agreement, but Eliot figured the kid would agree to just about anything at this point. They got off the bed slowly and together made their way downstairs to where Eliot knew the others were waiting for him. Boy was this going to be a surprise! 

 

“One more question.” Eliot said not being able to stop himself. “Why didn’t you tell use Fray wasn’t ours? I mean other than the fact that it would have blown the secret, you could have made up a lie or something.” Todd paused at the question looking a little confused. “I had no idea she wasn’t your kid. We never talked about much from before I was born and honestly it would not have been too shocking to find out I had other siblings out there. I mean I never would have thought they would be yours and moms, but you know.”

 

He gave a small shrug and in an instant, the old Todd was back being the annoying little twerp he always was. The young man started his way down the stairs with a renewed pep in his step. It was like there was a big weight lifted off his shoulders and it made Eliot breathe a little or a lot easier. It was like the tight feeling he had been feeling since meeting the guy was gone, well maybe not gone, but it had shifted.

 

“Oh god, I better not fuck this kid up.” He said hoping his future self-was listening. This was his chance to do better and you better believe he was going to do better. He knew enough about having a shitty father to know that he never wanted to become one. All he had to do was keep himself in check going forward. Who knows clearly the future was not set in stone, so maybe there was a chance for him after all.


End file.
